The 1980s saw Marshall continue its propulsion work for humanity’s first reusable spacecraft, the space shuttle.
The 1980s saw Marshall continue its propulsion work for humanity’s first reusable spacecraft, the space shuttle. Those propulsion elements included the space shuttle main engines, solid rocket booster, and external tanks. The launch of Columbia’s STS-1 mission ushered in three decades of experience in low-Earth orbit through 135 missions which included scientific experiments and payloads.
Marshall also built upon its extensive microgravity research capability through the development of the systems for the Spacelab program while the Hubble Space Telescope has and continues to reshape humanity’s view of the universe.
Image credit: NASA/Camille DeShazo